Shipments and Supply of Sheet Products through February

U.S. demand for steel sheet products expanded slowly through February, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Apparent supply is a proxy for market demand. Demand momentum for sheet products in total was negative in the three months through February, but individual products varied. The overall negativity was partly a seasonal effect; on average since and including 2010, sheet supply in February has been down by 5.2 percent because of reduced days. In 2018, the decline was 7.0 percent, therefore a little worse than normal for this time of year.